Cai Chusheng
Encyclopedia
Resting Place= Babaoshan Revoluntionary Cemetery
Cai Chusheng ' onMouseout='HidePop("37112")' href="/topics/Yale_Romanization">Yale
: Choi3 Cho2 Sang1) (January 12, 1906–July 15, 1968) was a Chinese film director
of the pre-Communist era. Known best for his progressive output in the 1930s, Cai Chusheng later became a victim to the persecutions of the Cultural Revolution
.
to Cantonese
parents, but raised in Chaoyang, Shantou
, Guangdong. Cai only had four years of formal education. Cai was home-schooled after he had spoken up for his class about the misbehavior of a teacher. He studied Confuscianism and practiced calligraphy and painting. Cai had many talents. Cai never compromised for quality. Cai Chusheng initially worked in low-level positions in several small studios during the 1920s, before eventually joining Mingxing Film Company
as a director's assistant to Zheng Zhengqiu
, another Chaoyang-native. Cai later joined the Lianhua Film Company
where he directed a handful of mainstream popular films including Spring in the South and Pink Dream
(both 1932). He would not cement his reputation as a leading leftist filmmaker until after the Japanese attack in 1932, when Cai, like many of his colleagues, shifted towards increasingly progressive or leftist filmmaking. This shift can be seen in output after 1932, including the class-struggle dramas Dawn Over the Metropolis (1933), Song of the Fishermen
(1934), and the proto-feminist New Women
(1934), which starred Ruan Lingyu
. Song of the Fishermen, for example, was a major box office success in Shanghai where it played for 87 days, and it would also became the first Chinese film to win an international prize, doing so at the Moscow International Film Festival
.
The Spring River Flows East (1947) also proved to be a major film and popular success in the brief "Second Golden Age" of Cinema that followed the end of the Second World War. Following the Communist revolution, Cai worked mainly in major government administrative tasks. He also actively involved in promoting Chinese film industry and also formed an organization to monitor the quality of movies and to recognize talented artists in the industry. He did make one major post-1949 film, Waves on the Southern Shore (1963). As the Cultural Revolution
began to gain momentum in the late 1960s, Cai Chusheng, like many artists and intellectuals, became the target of persecution. Cai was forced to self-criticize and admit in writing of his mistakes. Cai was tortured which had led to his early death in 1968. His ashes is now placed at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. The house where Cai spent his youth is now a museum. It is a certified historical attraction.
In Stanley Kwan
's 1992 biopic of Ruan Lingyu, Centre Stage
, Cai Chusheng is portrayed by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka Fai. Ruan was one of the Chinese most prominent actress. This film is about Cai's controversial romance with Ruan. Ruan's death was caused by irresponsible criticisms by the news media. Ruan committed suicide at the age of 24. Cai condemned the press which had sparkled the echoing effect to raise the public awareness of the importance of the conduct of the media. With Cai's good look, he was mistakenly regarded as a lady's man. Cai was very active in promoting the social status of women. Cai volunteered when time was possible to teach classes to improve literacy among women.
Cai Chusheng ' onMouseout='HidePop("37112")' href="/topics/Yale_Romanization">Yale
Yale Romanization
The Yale romanizations are four systems created at Yale University for romanizing the four East Asian languages of Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese...
: Choi3 Cho2 Sang1) (January 12, 1906–July 15, 1968) was a Chinese film director
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
of the pre-Communist era. Known best for his progressive output in the 1930s, Cai Chusheng later became a victim to the persecutions of the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.
Early career
Born in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Cantonese
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
parents, but raised in Chaoyang, Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
, Guangdong. Cai only had four years of formal education. Cai was home-schooled after he had spoken up for his class about the misbehavior of a teacher. He studied Confuscianism and practiced calligraphy and painting. Cai had many talents. Cai never compromised for quality. Cai Chusheng initially worked in low-level positions in several small studios during the 1920s, before eventually joining Mingxing Film Company
Mingxing Film Company
Mingxing Film Company was one of the largest Chinese production companies during the 1920s, and 1930s in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The company lasted from 1922 until 1937 when it was closed permanently by the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:...
as a director's assistant to Zheng Zhengqiu
Zheng Zhengqiu
Zheng Zhengqiu was a Chinese filmmaker and is often considered one of the "founding fathers" of the Cinema of China.-Biography:...
, another Chaoyang-native. Cai later joined the Lianhua Film Company
Lianhua Film Company
The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:...
where he directed a handful of mainstream popular films including Spring in the South and Pink Dream
Pink Dream
Pink Dream is a 1932 Chinese silent film and an early film by director Cai Chusheng. A melodrama, the film's social critique of the decadent urban lifestyle was nevertheless met with criticism by Shanghai's progressives as overly decadent and influenced by American cinema, particularly the film's...
(both 1932). He would not cement his reputation as a leading leftist filmmaker until after the Japanese attack in 1932, when Cai, like many of his colleagues, shifted towards increasingly progressive or leftist filmmaking. This shift can be seen in output after 1932, including the class-struggle dramas Dawn Over the Metropolis (1933), Song of the Fishermen
Song of the Fishermen
Song of the Fishermen is an early Chinese silent film directed by Cai Chusheng in 1934, and produced by the Lianhua Film Company. The film, like many of the period details the struggle of the poorer classes, in this case a family of fishermen who are forced to sing on the streets in order to...
(1934), and the proto-feminist New Women
New Women
New Women was a silent Chinese film released in early 1935 in Shanghai by the Lianhua Film Company. It is sometimes translated as New Woman. The film starred Ruan Lingyu and was directed by Cai Chusheng....
(1934), which starred Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu , born Ruan Fenggen , was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her death at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.- Career :...
. Song of the Fishermen, for example, was a major box office success in Shanghai where it played for 87 days, and it would also became the first Chinese film to win an international prize, doing so at the Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
.
Hong Kong and wartime
During the war, Cai fled first to Hong Kong, where he helped launch Mandarin language cinema with Situ Huimin. In Hong Kong, Cai would also direct two films, including an anti-Japanese thriller. Cai was also a pioneer in making films in local dialects. Cai was the first to make movies in Cantonese. He also made movies in Chaozhou dialect. When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, Cai fled to Chongqing, China's wartime capital, where he joined the government-run Nationalist Central Film Studio.Cai together with other artists were passionately involved in fund raising to save the people in hunger as a result of Civil War and Japanese invasion.Post-war career
Cai's post-war career saw him returning to Shanghai and becoming a leading member of the Lianhua Film Society (later incorporated as the Kunlun Film Company). His collaboration with Zheng JunliZheng Junli
Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:...
The Spring River Flows East (1947) also proved to be a major film and popular success in the brief "Second Golden Age" of Cinema that followed the end of the Second World War. Following the Communist revolution, Cai worked mainly in major government administrative tasks. He also actively involved in promoting Chinese film industry and also formed an organization to monitor the quality of movies and to recognize talented artists in the industry. He did make one major post-1949 film, Waves on the Southern Shore (1963). As the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
began to gain momentum in the late 1960s, Cai Chusheng, like many artists and intellectuals, became the target of persecution. Cai was forced to self-criticize and admit in writing of his mistakes. Cai was tortured which had led to his early death in 1968. His ashes is now placed at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. The house where Cai spent his youth is now a museum. It is a certified historical attraction.
In Stanley Kwan
Stanley Kwan
Stanley Kwan is a Hong Kong Second Wave film director and producer.Kwan landed a job at the TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist College...
's 1992 biopic of Ruan Lingyu, Centre Stage
Centre Stage
Centre Stage , also known as Actress and Yuen Ling-yuk, is a 1992 Hong Kong film, directed by Stanley Kwan.The film is based on a true story: the tragic life of China's first prima donna of the silver screen, Ruan Lingyu. This movie chronicles her rise to fame as a movie actress in Shanghai during...
, Cai Chusheng is portrayed by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka Fai. Ruan was one of the Chinese most prominent actress. This film is about Cai's controversial romance with Ruan. Ruan's death was caused by irresponsible criticisms by the news media. Ruan committed suicide at the age of 24. Cai condemned the press which had sparkled the echoing effect to raise the public awareness of the importance of the conduct of the media. With Cai's good look, he was mistakenly regarded as a lady's man. Cai was very active in promoting the social status of women. Cai volunteered when time was possible to teach classes to improve literacy among women.
Selected filmography
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Spring in the South | 南國之春/南国之春 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
|
| 1932 | Pink Dream Pink Dream Pink Dream is a 1932 Chinese silent film and an early film by director Cai Chusheng. A melodrama, the film's social critique of the decadent urban lifestyle was nevertheless met with criticism by Shanghai's progressives as overly decadent and influenced by American cinema, particularly the film's... |
粉紅色的夢/粉红色的梦 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
Also known as A Dream in Pink |
| 1932 | Facing the National Crisis | 共赴國難/共赴国难 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
Co-directed with Shi Dongshan Shi Dongshan Shi Dongshan was a prominent Chinese film director throughout the 1920s and 1950s. Shi directed several films that have gained in stature in the intervening years, most notably Eight Thousand Li of Cloud and Moon.... , Sun Yu Sun Yu Sun Yu , style name Zhongyi , was the second son of Sun Jing and a younger cousin of the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. At one time when Zhou Yu attacked Jing Province under the pretext of invading Yi Province, Sun Yu was ordered by Sun Quan to merge his... , and Wang Cilong |
| 1933 | Dawn Over the Metropolis | 都會的早晨/都会的早晨 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
|
| 1934 | Song of the Fishermen Song of the Fishermen Song of the Fishermen is an early Chinese silent film directed by Cai Chusheng in 1934, and produced by the Lianhua Film Company. The film, like many of the period details the struggle of the poorer classes, in this case a family of fishermen who are forced to sing on the streets in order to... |
漁光曲渔光曲 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
First Chinese film to win an award at a major international film festival |
| 1935 | New Women New Women New Women was a silent Chinese film released in early 1935 in Shanghai by the Lianhua Film Company. It is sometimes translated as New Woman. The film starred Ruan Lingyu and was directed by Cai Chusheng.... |
新女性 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
|
| 1936 | Lost Lambs | 迷途的羔羊 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
Also known as Lost Children |
| 1937 | Fifth Brother Wang | 王老五 | Lianhua Lianhua Film Company The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:... |
Segment of an anthology film, Symphony of Lianhua |
| 1939 | Orphan Island Paradise | 孤島天堂/孤岛天堂 | Dadi | |
| 1940 | Boundless Future | 前程萬里/前程万里 | ||
| 1947 | The Spring River Flows East | 一江春水向東流上集/一江春水向东流上集 | Kunlun | |
| 1963 | Waves on the Southern Shore | 南海潮 | ||
External links
- Cai Chusheng at the Chinese Movie Database
- Cai Chusheng at the BFI Film and TV Database
- Essay on Cai Chusheng